Accept yourself.

As humans, we tend to focus on our flaws more than appreciating our individuality. Especially with the ubiquitous influence of social media, we have imposed beauty and lifestyle standards on ourselves without completely regarding the veracity of its reality. What we fail to see is these 'so-called' Instagram models go through starving themselves to sleep, rigorous workout routines, unreasonably expensive skin care, and most importantly, though not with everyone but with majority, 'plastic surgeries.’ I am aware of only a few celebrities who have embraced their natural beauty and have not gone along with the modern beauty trends, namely, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Julia Roberts, Beyoncé, Halle Berry, and many more. The disparity between social media and reality is still untold and thrown into shadow.

For the longest, I too looked down upon myself for not conforming to the 'ideal' body/beauty type. Regardless of how people perceive you or how you would want to present yourself, BE CONFIDENT! Accepting your flaws and moving on to your higher self is as important as it is to nurture a baby. Acceptance is the biggest step to self-love. Instead of despising yourself for the way you look, be grateful for the flaws you got, because one day that will be your biggest flex. Everything that is bothering you right now is going to make you stronger and will change you into someone you cannot even imagine. Stop working on yourself to comply with preposterous beauty standards and unleash your true self.

With the all the stereotype around fashion and beauty for women- wearing makeup in daily routine, having intense workouts, maintaining a good figure with curves in the right place, and staying young- it is high time that we stop normalizing these and uplift each other in the journey of self-love. Men too are expected to not be 'too-girly,' build a muscular physique, hide their emotions, and 'dress like a man.' Society will dictate such unrealistic ideologies, but we as the future generation need to put an end to this.

From my personal experience, stop aggrandizing and seeking validation through modern beauty standards without fully being aware of its consequences, and start accepting and loving yourself. Do not let anyone affect your confidence. Your personality is a reflection of who you are from the inside and not the public facade. The day you come in alignment with your true self is when you will disregard people's opinions about you and finally live a life for yourself and not to please anyone.

Lastly, guys, enjoy life...it is the only one you got! Do not waste it over condescending people that impart negativity and make you feel vulnerable. Their comments reflect their personality, insecurities, and character, and not yours. Go out there, be confident, do your charm and let the world gossip while you rise from all the nonsense and tap your soul!

Source: Psychology Today